05

Chapter 1:

Alex Jones woke to the sound of someone knocking on his door. Lifting his head he looked over at the clock on his bedside table and groaned. The time was 5:00 AM, a full two hours before he was do at work. With a sigh he glanced at the door debating whether or not to ignore whoever woke him up.

The call of the soft pillows and warm blanket won him over. Turning over he attempted to tune out the noise, and get some more sleep. At least that had been the plan until a muffled female voice yelled through his door. "Open up Alex, I know your in there!" Thump, thump, thump. "Don't make me open it for you!"

His eyes flashed open in surprise. He wondered what was so important SHE would come herself to get him.

Sitting up he swung his legs out of bed, still wearing the pants from yesterday. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he walked barefoot across the room and opened his door.

Standing there was a tall raven-haired woman with a scowl that may or may not be a permanent feature of her face. She wore a fairly plain grey shirt with the Voss-Pyun logo on the sleeve.

Alex could tell something was up, the tense shoulders and the way she glanced around every now and then. She was on edge, but then she wasn't the only one. For the past three days he had been the same, as if something bad was about to happen.

Shaking his head to clear the thought he looked at the women standing at his door.

"What do you need... (yawn) ...So early in the morning, Kara?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Early? Its only five."

Alex sighed, Kara was ex military and she ran her shop like it. Which meant he wasn't about to get any more sleep today. "Not everyone is an early riser like you, you know."

Her scowl deepened. "You know if you weren't so lazy you could have a girlfriend by now."

Raising his arms in submission, he chuckled. "Okay, okay, you win. What do you need?"

"I need you to come in an hour early today."

He yawned, and rubbed his face again. "An hour early?" After a minute of thought he nodded. Alex had known Kara Knight for three months and not once had she asked something like this if she didn't need to. "Sure, I guess."

Almost imperceptibly her face relaxed. Anyone else would've missed it, but he had always been able to read peoples moods, almost like a sixth sense. "Good. With this flu going around were a little short handed."

He shrugged and smiled. "It's alright. That just means I get overtime."

One corner of her mouth twitched upward into a small smirk. "Don't push your luck, Alex."

Turning she walked back down the hall. She stopped half way and said over her shoulder. "Hurry up carrot top. Don't want to be late now, do you?"

Closing his door he cursed Kara for using that nickname. She had given it to him two months ago, and it unfortunately stuck. Shaking his head he headed to his bathroom for a shower before work.

Turning the shower on he stepped in and let the warmth of the water clear the rest of the fog from his mind. As it did a sense of dread filled it's place. The same dread he had felt for the past few days. He wasn't even sure where it had come from, but it had gotten stronger over the past few days. That train of thought however imploded as the water went from warm to ice cold.

Guess it's gonna be one of those days. He thought as the frigid water ran down his body.

Sighing, he stopped the water and stepped out. Grabbing a towel he dried himself off and dressed in a black t-shirt and blue jeans. Grabbing his jacket and PDA he locked his door and headed to Loading bay three.

Ten minutes later Alex walked into the Locker room. Stepping through the door he glanced around. The room only had one other person sitting on a bench. The man was 5'4 with short blond hair with an average build.

Upon seeing the man Alex smirked. "Got you too did she?"

Looking up he gave Alex a tired smile "Yep, but did it have to be so early."

As he approached his locker Alex chuckled. Alex liked Max, if only for his almost always happy mood.

Shrugging Alex clipped on his tool belt. "At lest we get overtime."

Max smiled back. "My thoughts exactly."

Just then a rather girlish scream came from the Loading bay. Looking at the door Alex asked. "What was that?"

Max shrugged "Don't no."

Standing they walked to the door that led to the bay. The site that greeted them as the doors slid open was one both would cherish for all time. One of the trainees had somehow gotten himself stuck in the Power Loader's clamps. At the current moment the clamp was a good twelve feet in the air.

Walking up to the crowd gathered around the Loader Alex tried and failed to hide his laughter. Spotting Kara he pushed through the crowd toward her. Catching sight of the look on his face she glared and said. "Don't even start with me."

With a sigh she rubbed her eyes. "Just get him down."

She was in a foul mood, he didn't need his sixth sense to know that. "Yes mam."

Walking up to the large machine he leaned over the controls. After flicking some switches and buttons it remained unresponsive. Popping open a maintenance panel on the arm he reached in and fiddled around. A minute later the steel clamp opened with a 'creak', freeing the man to fall flat on his face.

Standing he thanked Alex, with a nervous smile. "Thanks, I'd still be in big trouble if you hadn't come along."

A tapping sound brought there attention to see a sight that Alex was sure would haunt the trainee for many nights to come.

Kara stood arms crossed, her face slight red. Alex could actually see the large vein throbbing on her forehead.

Alex placed his hand on the mans shoulder. "I think you still are. Good luck."

With that he slipped away just in time to escape Kara's lecture. "You idiot! You aren't rated for a Loader yet. You're lucky I need all the help I can get. Otherwise you'd be looking for a new job right now."

max winced, she would most likely be yelling at him for the rest of the day. Alex had sympathy for the guy, he had once been on the receiving end of one once. Both men glanced at the other, nether wanted to suffer one again.

With that train of thought he and max got there assignments.

The next eight hours were more or less uneventful. At the current moment Alex was lying under a coolant pipe that fed into the colony reactor. Max was helping him by handing him the replacement parts when he asked for them.

A wave of anger, despair, pain, and loss wash over him. It had been so powerful he hadn't been able to move until it had past. Grimacing he rubbed his now throbbing head.

"Hey, you all right?" Alex shook his head to clear the last of the feelings from his mind.

"Yeah. Just... a headache." he said as he scooped up his wrench and tightened a bolt on the newly replaced pipe. Max looked him over with concern.

"Don't tell me you are coming down with the flu?" Alex stopped what he was doing and looked up.

Shaking his head he frowned. "I don't think so."

Max raised one eyebrow. "Well Kara, would kill us both if you did. Go see the doc, i'll cover for you."

Now it was Alex's turn to smile, he eyed the young man and said. "You sure you aren't just trying to get that monthly bonus?"

Max chuckled as he handed Alex a presser-seal. "A nice thought, but no. I'd just end up getting us both in trouble if that was what I was after. And nether of us want that, trust me."

Max looked at Alex and nodded to the door. "Now go and get some rest before I change my mind." With that, Max started gathering up the tools.

A grateful sigh escaped Alex as he dropped his wrench into a toolbox. "Thanks, I owe you one."

Alex turned to leave, as he did he heard Max mumble "That monthly bonus would be nice."

He chuckled as the door slid closed. Popping his back he walked back to his room. The sound of someone screaming however stopped him in his tracks. It didn't sound like the normal fights that had happened from time to time. He wasn't sure how but he knew who ever screamed was afraid for there life.

Reacting on instinct he ran in the direction of the screams. Another scream led him to a room labeled ST1. As far as he knew the room was mainly used for storing various bits of equipment. If someone was in there it was probably to catalog whatever was in there. Looking in, his breath hitched at the site of a hulking black form stood over a body covered in blood.

Shaking in fear he whispered "Reaper."

It must of heard him because it turned toward him. With an inhuman shriek it launched itself at him. Grabbing the door he slammed it shut just as it hit, denting the steel door. Turning he ran back the way he came.

He ran down a hall looking for what he wasn't sure. He couldn't believe it, a Reaper was in the colony.

Passing the rec-room he saw the dead bodies of a few colonists all over. He turned away from the door and threw up. All that blood had been too much for him. His hand trembled as he wiped the vomit from mouth.

Alex had little time to dwell on the death of his coworkers as the sound of hissing came from behind him. Whipping around Alex spotted three black forms start to come around the corner at the end of the hall. Trying not to draw attention he slowly stepped back. Unfortunately the metal grating decided to creak under his feet at that moment.

Hearing the sound of his footsteps all three Reaper's looked toward him. The moment they spotted him he took off down the corridor. He didn't want to be lunch for some monster.

He had read about what these things did if they got you. If they didn't outright kill you they turned you into a host for there young, either way you died painfully in the end. He wasn't about to let that happen to him.

Behind him the Reapers were quickly closing in, and he was getting tired. Frantically he looked for a way to stop, or at least delay his pursuers. Spotting a door steel door to his left he made a split second decision and jumped in, locking the door the moment it closed. Alex stepped away just as the Reaper hit the door.

He jumped back in fear as a large dent formed in the door. Knowing he had only bought himself a minute or two he wasted no time standing around. Spinning around he stopped dead as the sound of hissing caught his attention. The hissing he was hearing wasn't from his pursuers that were even now trying to get in. No, it was coming from this side of the door.

Suddenly a puff of mist drew his attention to a pipe on his left. After closer inspection he found this was where the faint hissing was coming from. A faded yellow tag hung from a large red wheel bolted to the pipe. Grabbing it he read what was written on it and smiled. "COOLANT RELIEF VALVE"

A plan was forming in his mind. The hissing was from the steam produced by the reactors cooling system. Months of hard work would go up in smoke... er, steam at what he was about to do, but it would buy him the time he needed. Grabbing the wheel with both hands and screamed in pain.

The steam had heated the wheel to a dangerous level. without gloves he could severally burn his hands. reaching back he found his pair of gloves missing. After a few seconds of weighing his options he decided burned hands were better than death.

Gritting his teeth he grabbed the wheal and turned it, shutting off the pipe. With a groan the pressure in the pipe began to climb. Letting go he stared at his burnt and blackened hands. He didn't have much time to dwell on his new injures as the door began to buckle as the Reapers hammered it. Turning Alex ran from what would most likely be a huge explosion of scalding hot steam.

Sensing their prey escaping they pounded against the door with renewed ferocity. A minute later it gave way.

As the door fell Alex was sprinting half way down the hall. With a screech the three aliens resumed there chase. Looking back he swore as he saw them getting closer. Knowing he didn't have much time till the pipe burst he redoubled his efforts.

Seconds after he rounded a corner there was a muted boom, then high pitched shriek as the corridor filled with super heated steam. He didn't even glance back as he neared a second door.

Thankfully it was slightly ajar so he pushed it the rest of the way open. Stepping out he realized he had come out near the med labs. Picking a random direction he started running. Before he had gotten very far the screams of someone ahead of him had him skidding to a stop. Looking around for a place to hide he spotted a door slightly open to his left. Jumping inside he locked the door and slid to the floor.

Sitting against the door he listened as something ran up to the door. A bolt of fear spiked through him as it seemed to pause by the door. Alex froze not daring to even breath, but then it seamed to move on. Letting out a sigh of relief he looked up just in time to see a Infector leap out of a vent and attached to his face.

***

Chapter 2:

Alex found himself standing alone in a place he didn't recognize. All around him lay shrouded in a thick shifting mist. It seamed to move as if it had a mind of its own.

Thinking back he tried to remember how he had gotten there. Frowning he found he had little to no memory of the past few days at all. A feeling of uneasiness crept over him.

Pushing it to the back of his mind he looked at his surroundings. Only to see a thick mist still obscuring everything. The only thing he could see clearly was a narrow bricked pathway he was currently standing on.

As far as Alex could remember his current place of work Nimbus 564, had no pathways out side the colony, brick or otherwise. And the closest it had to mist was dust storms. Reaching for his PDA he found that he not only didn't have his PDA but he was also missing his jacket.

Turning he looked for any sign of a way out of this sea of fog. To be honest Alex was a little freaked out. It wasn't every day one awoke alone in the middle of a dense fog with no memory of how you got there. From within the fog all around him he heard what he could have sworn sounded like whispering.

Cupping his hands around his mouth he yelled "Hello, anyone out there?"

All he received in response was a distorted "...out there?"

Not seeing anything else to do he started walking down the path. After a few steps down the path indistinct shapes began to appear all around him. They ranged from knee high to almost as tall as a loader. Stopping Alex looked around, he just couldn't shake the nagging feeling he had been here before.

Walking up to one of the smaller shapes he knelt and examined it. Slowly the mist parted to reveal the most beautiful rosebush Alex had seen. Again it felt somehow familiar to him.

Standing Alex examined his surroundings more closely. The mist still obscured everything but the path and now the bush.

Crossing his arms he thought long and hard on his current situation. At the moment he stood on a brick path next to a small bush surrounded by fog in an yet unknown location.

However the sound of trickling water soon brought him out of his thoughts. Looking in the direction of the sound he wondered why he hadn't herd it until now, but filed it away for later. Turning he followed the sound and soon came across a fountain, at the center of which was the statue of a beautiful young lady. She wore an old-fashioned armor over her arms, legs and torso, hair tied back in a loose tail. Both her hands rested atop the hilt of a sword embedded in the plinth by her feet. Her face, which was turned to her left had a small happy smile.

Alex starred eyes wide mouth hanging open in shock. He recognized it as the exact same statue his grandfather had one owned. It was a one of a kind piece the old man had been proud of. He had kept it as the centerpiece of his garden on earth. As far as he knew it had been destroyed years ago.

He hadn't been here since his grandfathers funeral. As if his recognition was a gust of wind the mist dispersed. As the shock wore off he smiled. "This must be a dream." Though he couldn't remember having one this real before.

The warm sun light freed from the obscuring fog shined down and reveled the whole garden. Looking around at the carefully tended flowers a wave of nostalgia washed over him. This had been his safe haven, a place he could go to when his father had been drinking when he was a kid.

The rustling of leafs drew him out of his memory's and back to the present. Looking around for the source of the disturbance he spotted a splash of red among the green of the foliage, then in a flash it was gone. Raising an eyebrow he followed it. His footsteps making no sound as he walked on the cracked bricks.

Still smiling turned a corner and found a large wall of green looming before him. Glancing around for a few seconds he attempted to find any signs of where the thing he had been following had gone. Straining his ears to hear if it moves again he heard what sounded like... sobbing? From beyond the bush.

Alex frowned slightly and walked right up to the bush. He knew this particular part of the garden. Pushing some of the brush out of the way he walked into a small clearing. The garden was his haven, but this was where he went to be alone. Heading deeper in he followed the crying.

soon found the source of the crying curled up on the floor in a fetal position his arms wrapped firmly around his legs as his small body heaving with every sob. Alex could see tears staining the ground in the light that managed to pass through the trees above. He couldn't be much older than 11 or 12, with a mop of bright red hair covering his head. Alex frowned slightly, that nagging feeling of familiarity had come back.

Squatting down so he was eye level with the boy he asked. "Hello, little boy?"

The boy just continued to sob without a sign that he had heard Alex at all. Looking closer he noticed a chain that hung around the boys neck, a simple silver chain with a purple crystal hanging from it.

His eyes widened as he instinctively reached for his own, only to find it missing. It had been a gift from his mother, the only one, and this kid had one just like it. That's when he realized this wasn't a dream but a memory, and this 'kid' was him.

Alex frown thought. Why am in a memory?

Looking back at the younger him he tried to figure out when this was. Things like this had happened more than once when he had been younger.

Suddenly a voice cut through his thoughts and made his chest tighten in emotion. "Alex. Alex, where are you?"

Turning Alex watched as his grandfather Tristan Jones walked through the wall of foliage. His heart both swelled and pained as he looked the older man over. He stood tall for a man in his eighty's with short grey hair. He wore a simple white shirt and faded blue overalls. Looking around the mans normally warm features were one of concern.

Spotting the younger Alex he walked over and sat beside him. Almost immediately the child clung to the old man and continued to cry.

Tristan wrapped his arms around the small boy and whispered "It's okay Alex, sshh."

The boys response was muffled by the overalls but was still understandable. "But why? I don't want to move so far away."

Alex remembered this moment, it was the last time he would speak to his grandfather before he died from cancer three years later. Every word that came from his mouth seemed like a dagger to his heart.

Turning the boy to face him by his chin Tristan looked him in the eye and said. "Listen, and listen well son. Friends come and go, that is a fact. But family, true family stays forever. Family is more than blood and more than just a last name. Family are those you care about and who care about you in turn. Those who are willing to risk their life for you, and those you are willing to defend with your own. Protect those dear to you and you will live a happy life. Plus, I will always be here. Promise me you won't forget that."